Tables with titling tops are well known in the art. Designers of flip-top tables, however, have faced many challenges in designing the mechanism that allows the top to tilt and preferably lock in place. First, the rigidity of a flip-top table must be comparable to conventional non-flip tables. Second, the mechanism must be simple to manufacture and preferably accommodate a variety of leg and table top sizes so that a single style of mechanism may be manufactured for multiple table designs.
Third, the mechanism must allow the table to fold in a manner so that the table may pass through a standard doorway. Fourth, the mechanism must be able to satisfy government regulations, such as those set by OSHA, and non-governmental organization's standards, such as the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer's Association.
Fifth, pinch points at the location of mechanism activation must be minimized to reduce the risk of injury to the table operator. Sixth, the operation of the mechanism should be intuitive and a single or dual operation should be used for releasing the table top from multiple positions.
Seventh, the mechanism must latch when the table is in a “use” position and the mechanism must latch or clip when the table is in a “folded” position. Eighth, the mechanism must provide a signal to the operator that the mechanism has locked. A preferable signal to the operator is an audible sound.
Ninth, the mechanism must be difficult to accidentally activate when it is bumped or kicked by a person using the table. Tenth, the design of the mechanism must work with a free-swinging modesty panel.
Eleventh, the mechanism should inhibit bidirectional rotation about a rotation axis when the table is in the “use” and “folded” positions. Twelfth, the mechanism may be used to limit the speed of rotation of the table top when the table is transitioning between positions.
Finally, the mechanism should be constructed from lightweight yet robust materials. The mechanism should utilize unique latching features for each unique configuration because utilizing different portions of the mechanism helps to evenly spread the wear on the mechanism. Utilizing separate features for each latching position also allows the mechanical tolerances of the design and table wobble to be reduced. Additionally, separate features may be individually customized (strengthened, etc.) based on conditions t he table will experience in a specific configuration.
There have been many attempts to address these challenges faced by designers of flip-top table mechanisms. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,203,783 issued to Reischmann and U.S. Pat. No. 3,641,946 issued to Charnay disclose lockable mechanisms for pivoting tables. The mechanisms have springs that are securable to a plurality of rods or holes, with each rod or hole corresponding to a unique table position. The '783 and '946 patents, however, do not provide unique spatially separated latching features since one spring interacts with all the rods or holes. Additionally, the latching mechanisms of the '738 and '946 patents are only functional with one type of table leg because the legs are integrated into the mechanisms, thus the need remains for an improved flip-top table mechanism.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,986,195 issued to Diffrient discloses a “tilting table top mechanism . . . [with] a chassis member which is secured to the underside of a table top and a base plate which is secured to the top of a table leg . . . . A dual locking mechanism maintains the table top in its normal ‘use’ position but is manually disengaged with ease.” The mechanism of the '195 patent does not bi-directionally lock the rotation of the table in a folded configuration, thus the need remains for an improved flip-top table mechanism.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,796,169 issued to Bales and Estes discloses a flip-top table mechanism that utilizes unique portions of the latch for each configuration of the table. However, the mechanism of the '169 patent has several pinch points near the activation point of the mechanism.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an easily manufacturable mechanism for a flip-top table with rigidity comparable to a non flip-top table.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an intuitively operable mechanism that meets government and industry standards.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a flip-top table mechanism that is capable of locking a table in both a use and folded position.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism that gives an audible signal when locking.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a single release mechanism capable of releasing the table top from both a folded and a use position while being difficult to accidentally engage.